WEC 51 Preview & Predictions: it could be a good night for Ontario fighters

By MIKE JOHNSTON

Canada and Ontario are well represented at WEC 51 as two of Ontario’s finest, Mark Hominick and Chris Horodecki, return to the cage for the first time since their impressive wins at WEC 49 in Edmonton in June. Hominick faces the man he called out after beating Yves Jabouin, Leonard Garcia, while Horodecki takes on his original WEC 49 opponent, Ed Ratcliff.

Dating back to their days in the now-defunct Canadian promotion TKO, whenever Hominick and Horodecki fight on the same card, they are undefeated. Fans are hoping the trend continues at WEC 51. Also on the card is a featherweight championship bout between Jose Aldo and Manny Gamburyan and a grudge match between Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone. Here is a complete breakdown of WEC 51:

• Jose Aldo vs. Manny Gamburyan (for featherweight title)

Not many are giving Gamburyan any chance against Jose Aldo, but remember, the same thing was true when the Armenian took on Mike Brown at WEC 48. “Manvel The Anvil” ended up knocking Brown unconscious in the first round to earn this title shot. He will need to bully Aldo in order to win. However, Aldo will be too elusive for Gamburyan to catch him with a lucky shot, so clinch work and wearing Aldo down against the cage would be Manny’s best game plan. Aldo should be able to pick Manny apart on the feet and avoid the takedown long enough to land his shots.

Aldo.

• Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerrone
  

In a rematch filled with bad blood, these two scrappers will look to gain bragging rights after their first fight ended in controversy. Since that bout last January at WEC 38, Varner has improved his game more than Cerrone has and that could be the difference. Cerrone will look to keep this fight standing and inflict some pain on his rival. Varner’s game plan is probably similar despite his wrestling advantage. The winner will stay in the title picture and the loser’s stock will drop.

Varner.

• Miguel Torres vs. Charlie Valencia

Just over year ago, Miguel Torres was still thought of as one of the ten P4P best fighters in the world. However, after two consecutive losses, oh how the mighty have fallen. The former champ looks to bounce back from two consecutive losses as he takes on the veteran Valencia. Torres has been primarily in Montreal at the TriStar gym for this fight and he should be the best Miguel Torres fans have ever seen.

Torres.

• Chan Sung Jung vs. George Roop

The now ultra-popular “Korean Zombie” is back and he takes on a TUF veteran in George Roop. Jung is a brawler with a solid ground game, where as Roop is better on the ground, but still not afraid to trade. Don’t be surprised if this tussle steals “Fight on the Night.”

Jung.

• Leonard Garcia vs. Mark Hominick

Hominick’s speed advantage and footwork will play a huge part in the outcome of this featherweight barnburner. Sure, Garcia has KO power, but he has to catch Hominick first. Both men have underrated ground games, which likely won’t come into play since both always showcase their striking. Garcia is a brawler while Mark is a tactician. Both men also have concrete chins, and this could turn out to be another classic slugfest, but Mark needs to avoid Garcia’s wild, looping hooks. If he can, he should be able to pick up the win and begin preparing for a contender eliminator bout.

Hominick.

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Chris Horodecki vs. Ed Ratcliff

Although he is an elite, precise striker himself, Horodecki has a better chance if he mixes up his game like he did at WEC 49 in Edmonton. Both of Ratcliff’s losses have been by way of submission and Horodecki’s ground game is ever improving. This fight was supposed to happen at WEC 49 in June, but Ratcliff had to pull out just days before the fight due to injury. Ratcliff is a dynamic striker that likes to stand and bang. If Chris plays with fire, he could very well still win, but he could also get burned.

Horodecki.

• Mike Brown vs. Cole Province

Cole Province is in a bad spot here. He has to take on a motivated former champion, Mike Brown, who is looking to get back in the win column after an upset loss to Manny Gamburyan. Brown should handle Province wherever the fight goes.

Brown.

• Antonio Banuelos vs. Chad George

George hasn’t looked great in his first two WEC bouts and Banuelos is a veteran and training partner of Chuck Liddell. Banuelos should be too quick and experienced, with sufficient enough power to stop George.

Banuelos.

• Tyler Toner vs. Diego Nunes

Both men like to kick, but Nunes has an advantage with the grappling aspect, as his jiu-jitsu is dangerous. Nunes recently won a controversial split decision in Edmonton at WEC 49 over Rafael Assuncao. Both only have one career loss, but that will change and one will move up the rankings. Toner has a hometown advantage.

Nunes.

• Pablo Garza vs. Zhang Tie Quan

Zhang Tie Quan is one in a billion, literally. Quan is both the first Chinese fighter to sign with Zuffa, and is China’s first purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He makes his North American debut against, Pablo Garza, who made an appearance on the first episode of TUF 12. The main question is, how will Quan transition to fighting upper-tier, North American talent. Both are primarily grapplers and there is a ton of pressure on Quan.

Quan.

• Nick Pace vs. Demetrious Johnson

Nick Pace made waves with a highlight-reel KO in Bellator last year and is 5-0 in his promising young MMA career. He takes on the incredibly explosive and athletic Demetrious Johnson who is coming off his first ever loss, a decision to Brad Pickett at WEC 48. This is my pick to be the best fight on the undercard.

Johnson.